


Marble Cake

by biscuitsandgravy



Category: Free!
Genre: Birthday Party, Bitty Mako and Haru, Elementary School, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-29 12:38:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8489971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biscuitsandgravy/pseuds/biscuitsandgravy
Summary: For Makoto's eighth birthday, his parents allow him to have a party. It doesn't go as planned, but Haru saves the day!





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EternalDarkEyes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalDarkEyes/gifts).



> The prompt: Its Makoto's first birthday party where he can invite friends. However, no one comes due to bad weather (or whatever). Really disappointed, young Makoto doesn't really feel like celebrating. But his family and his neighbor Haru make up for the absence of everyone else, and Makoto ends up having his best birthday yet.
> 
> I thought this sounded adorable, so I hope I delivered!

One of Makoto’s earliest memories is his eighth birthday. He has scattered memories from before then, like the birth of his twin siblings, but everything else is just snippets and feelings. He doesn’t remember his fifth birthday, when he ate so much cake it made him sick, or his sixth birthday, when his class went on a field trip to the aquarium. Even his seventh birthday, when it snowed unseasonably early, Makoto doesn’t remember outside of photographs.

 

But, for his eighth birthday, his parents had allowed him to invite his classmates to a party. His birthday fell on a Saturday; the best day for a party. From the second the invitations went out (to every single classmate, Makoto insisted), Makoto took upon himself the responsibility of throwing a party all of his friends would enjoy.

 

About a week beforehand, right before bed, Makoto came to his mother with a notebook. “Mama, I want to plan the party,” he said.

 

“Alright,” she said with a smile. “What did you have in mind?” Makoto didn’t need to know there wasn’t much left to plan.

 

“Well, I think we should have games,” he said. 

 

“What kind of games?”

 

“Can we play pin the tail on the donkey? And musical chairs?” he asked excitedly. “But I want everyone to be win a prize for something. People don’t like it when they don’t win anything.”

 

“Of course,” his mother said. “I have some things I bought that could be prizes.” Makoto nods enthusiastically. 

 

“Will Ran and Ren be able to play the games? I don’t want to leave them out.”

 

“Makoto, they’re eight months old,” Makoto’s mother chuckled. “They’re not interested in games, yet.”

 

“But can they come to the party?” Makoto asked, worried.

 

“Of course, but I don’t think they’ll want to stay for long,” his mother reasoned. “Now, what kind of cake would you like?”

 

“Well. I like chocolate, but Haru-chan likes vanilla. And my friend Take-chan likes chocolate. But two of my other friends like vanilla!” Makoto’s eyes widened. “I want everyone to like the cake!”

 

“Don’t worry, dear,” Makoto’s mother smiled, hiding a laugh. “I can make a cake that’s half vanilla and half chocolate.”

 

Makoto nodded happily, then another thought occurred. “But what if one of my friends doesn’t like cake?” 

 

——————

 

But as Makoto found out, having a November birthday can have downsides.

 

On November 15th, the Thursday before Makoto’s birthday, both Ran and Ren suddenly developed a fever. Haru’s mom walked both boys home from school that day. “Be careful, Mako-chan. You don’t want to get sick right before your birthday,” she warned as she walked Makoto to his house.

 

Makoto entered his house to find his mother somehow managing to rock both twins. 

 

“Mako-chan, can you hold one of the twins for a minute?” Makoto’s mother asked. “I need to make a bottle for them.”

 

Makoto sits down carefully on the couch and grabs the baby closest to him, Ran. His mother stands up, now only holding one baby. She prepares two bottles and gives one to Makoto. He feeds Ran while she feeds Ren. 

 

“Mako-chan,” she says quietly. Makoto doesn’t want to look up; somehow he already knows what’s coming. “I know that you were very excited about having a birthday party with your friends from school. But with the twins being sick, I don’t think it’s a good idea to have people over.” 

 

Makoto nods. He suddenly feels like he’s sick too, and he wants to cry. But he won’t, because he knows that he has to be a good big brother, and his siblings can’t help being sick.

 

“What if they get better before the party?” Makoto asks timidly. 

 

“We’ll have to talk to your father about it,” Makoto’s mother said as she puts the bottle down and pats his head. “But the twins would have to get better overnight, and then they would have to have no fever all day. Don’t get your hopes up, Mako-chan.”

 

That night, Makoto gets himself ready for bed while both of his parents sit with the twins. His father comes in to tuck him into bed.

 

“Goodnight, Makoto,” he says as he kisses his son’s forehead.

 

“Goodnight,” Makoto murmurs. “Mom said we can’t have the party…”

 

Makoto’s father sighs and sits down on the bed. “Yes, I’m sorry,” he says. “With the twins not feeling well, it wouldn’t be good for them to have other people over. And it takes both your mother and I to take care of both of them.” Makoto nods. “But we’ll find something special to do for you tomorrow, I promise.”

 

The Friday before the party was the hardest day of young Makoto’s life. His father had offered to call all of his friends’ parents to inform them of the party’s cancellation.

 

“No,” Makoto said with determination. “I’ll tell them.”

 

But it’s harder than he thought, going to Take-chan and Zaki-chan and Hiro-chan and telling them not to come tomorrow. He purposely saved Haru for last.

 

“Haru-chan, I have something to tell you,” Makoto says as he waits for Haru’s mother to come and pick them up.

 

“I know,” Haru says. “I heard you telling Zaki-chan.”

 

“Oh,” Makoto says blankly. “Well, that’s good.”

 

“You didn’t want to cancel,” Haru says astutely.

 

“No,” Makoto says, looking at the ground. “But it’s what’s best for the Ran and Ren. They need to rest.”

 

————

 

The morning of November 17th, Makoto wakes up to weary smiles from his parents. It’s obvious they’ve both been up with the twins, but they still make him breakfast and kiss him good morning. His grandparents call, promising that he should get his card in the mail soon. His parents allow him to open his presents as soon as he’s done with breakfast, but he can’t bring himself to get too excited.

 

Makoto can’t help but notice when it’s noon. _Everyone should be here now,_ he thinks sadly. He doesn’t want to pout; he knows his parents could use his help. He knows that his parents didn’t cancel the party to punish him, but he’s only been eight for twelve hours, he can’t help but feel a little upset. He’s thankful his parents don’t ask him to hold the twins at all. He sits in the living room, coloring his favorite coloring book.

 

At 12:30, there’s a knock on the door. Makoto is surprised that whoever it is doesn’t ring the doorbell, but he’s glad that the noise doesn’t wake the twins. His father hurries to open the door, but Makoto can’t hear the conversation. 

 

“Makoto,” his father calls. “It’s for you.”

 

Makoto is puzzled, who could it be? Unless there’s someone he forgot to tell about the party…

 

“Happy birthday, Mako-chan!” Of all people, it’s Haru’s mother at the door, smiling. “Why don’t you put on your coat and shoes and come over for lunch?”

 

Makoto looks at his father curiously. But his father doesn’t seem surprised at the request. “Can I go, dad?” Makoto asks.

 

“Of course,” Makoto’s father says, handing Makoto his coat from the rack just inside the door. Makoto hurries to put his shoes on and Haru’s mom hold out her hand. He knows Haru doesn’t like holding hands with his mother anymore, but Makoto doesn’t mind holding her hand as she leads him up the stairs to Haru’s house.

 

At Haru’s house, Makoto takes his shoes off and Haru’s mother leads him into the sitting room.

 

Makoto gasps. On the kotatsu, a cake is sitting with eight candles already lit. Haru’s grandmother is seated and Haru stands, holding a wrapped gift.

 

“Happy birthday, Mako-chan!” Haru’s mother and grandmother say as he enters the room. Haru says nothing, but hands him the present. 

 

“Blow out the candles,” Haru instructs him. Makoto does, and he makes a wish. Haru’s mother immediately starts cutting the cake- chocolate! She hands Makoto a big piece.

 

“Thank you very much,” Makoto says through a mouthful of cake. 

 

“Oh, it was all Haru-chan’s idea!” Haru’s mother says, ruffling her son’s hair. Haru stares blankly, not acknowledging his mother’s accusation. “He told me how sad you were the your party was cancelled. So he suggested that you come over and have lunch here.”

 

“Thank you, Haru-chan!” Makoto says. Haru looks embarrassed.

 

“It’s not a party,” Haru shrugs. “You come over all the time.”

 

“You get to have your cake first, because it’s your birthday,” Haru’s grandmother says. “But we can’t send you back without some real food. We’ll go make some lunch.” She smiles at Haru’s mother and they both leave to the kitchen.

 

“Thank you for inviting me over,” Makoto smiles at Haru. 

 

“Your house would have been loud,” Haru deflects. “With all the people there. Open your present.”

 

Makoto is happy to. He tears through the wrapping paper, to find a new coloring book.

 

“Thanks, Haru-chan!” Makoto exclaims. “I was almost finished with my other one.”

 

“Look inside,” Haru nudges. Makoto flips through, and stops on a page that’s already colored. It was obviously colored by Haru; nothing is outside the lines and there’s careful shading. “I did that one for you.”

 

“It looks so good, Haru-chan!” It’s a mountain scene, which Haru had finished with blooming cherry blossoms and a glowing sunset. Even though the coloring book was a gift, Makoto loved seeing that Haru had colored one of the pictures for him. “Can we color some pages together?”

 

“After lunch. I’m hungry,” Haru says.

 

——————

 

Around 6, Makoto’s mother knocks on the door of Haru’s family home. She’s grateful for a chance to get out of the house, but also that her oldest child didn’t have to sit at home, alone, on a day he was supposed to be excited for.

 

“Come in,” Haru’s mother greets her. “How are the twins?”

 

“Much better, thanks,” says Makoto’s mother. “Did the boys have fun?”

 

“Come see.”

 

In the sitting room, both Makoto and Haru are sprawled on the floor, crayons scattered. The coloring book is open to sea scene, half-colored.

 

“Don’t worry, I already snapped a picture,” Haru’s mother smiles. Years later, when Makoto goes through the family photo albums, it will be the first picture that Makoto can smile about and say, “I remember that day!” while Haru shrugs and looks away, pretending he didn’t lie awake one night coming up with a way for his best friend to have a special day.


End file.
